


The People are Perceptive

by wonderlandstreasurechest



Category: Power Rangers Samurai
Genre: Gen, Time Skips, Vignettes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-24
Updated: 2015-05-24
Packaged: 2018-03-31 23:26:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3997177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wonderlandstreasurechest/pseuds/wonderlandstreasurechest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The whispers in Panorama City about monsters and rangers are barely audible, but just loud enough to be heard. Maybe the whispers are all rumors, and no one can really prove that Shiba House has anything to do with the attacks 15 years ago, but if there's one thing that's clear, it's that the people are perceptive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The People are Perceptive

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mara](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mara/gifts).



> For Mara :)
> 
> Prompt:
> 
> I figure that some (or all) of the long-time residents have to know what's going on. I mean, Jayden and Lauren's family have been there a long time and they've fought the Nighlok before, so...who knows? What do people in town think? Is there anyone who blames the Shiba family? Do they love them? Do they tell visitors to stay away? What do they do differently knowing they could be attacked by monsters?
> 
> (I know this has kind of been written before, but I feel like there's more to do with this.)

            "So you see," Bulk explained to his realtor, a pretty redheaded woman named Belinda, who was showing him a ratty one room apartment on the edge of Panorama City. "I'm a little down on my luck right now, bad investments, you know, and I just need some place to stay while I get back on my feet."

            "Well, for the rent you're looking for, this is probably the best I can show you right now," Belinda said, smiling. "But just between you and me, I'd hold off on this place. There's a little standalone condo with a garage that might be opening up in your price range."

            "Well, that sounds great!" He laughed, short and loud, before giving into suspicion. "What's the catch?"

            "Well..."

            "I knew it!"

            "It's just... The place is _inside_ the city, and, well..." She lowered her voice. "I'm not saying there's anything to it, but there are stories that about 15 years ago there were... monster attacks. Of course, that doesn't mean there will be more, but there are rumors around town that—"

            "Oh, is that all?"

            "You aren't put off by monsters, Mr. Bulkmeier?"

            "Ma'am, I grew up in Angel Grove. I've seen more than a fair share of monsters in my time. If the rent's the low... and there's enough space to maybe have my godson visit? I'm kinda liking the sounds of this condo."

            "We'll see if it opens up."

            When Bulk finally settled into his new condo, he surveyed it with pride, although it wasn’t much. He wasn't afraid of monster attacks in the slightest. If there was one thing he knew for certain, it was that when monsters attacked, the Power Rangers _always_ took care of it.

* * *

 

            Kevin began to suspect the citizens of Panorama City were a little smarter than Jayden and Ji gave them credit for shortly after he moved into the Shiba House. He volunteered to go with Mia to the grocery store— not yet knowing that she needed an eye kept on her when it came to food. He was cautiously trusting that somehow the salmon and hot fudge would not be involved in the same dish and carrying the basket when a man with salt and pepper hair in a green apron waved them into his line at the check-out counter.

            "You two must be new in town, hm?" The grocer asked, smiling at Kevin and Mia like he knew something. They exchanged confused glances before looking back to the man.

            "Yeah, we are," Kevin said, trying not to sound as paranoid as he felt. "How did you know?"

            "Oh, I've got a memory for names and faces," The man, whose name tag read Jeff, explained, placing their tomatoes on the scale. "And I have never seen you two in here before. You must be newlyweds, settling down in the city, right?"

            "What? Us? No!" Kevin said, earning him a sharp side glare from Mia.

            "We're just staying with some friends for a little while," Mia explained, as Kevin stiffened.

            "Oh really?" Jeff smiled, typing the prices into his register. "Who're you staying with? Maybe I know them? Like I said, names and faces are kind of my thing."

            "The Shibas."

            "Oh," He pulled his hand from the register. His eyebrows drew together and his smile faded, but only for a moment, before he tried to force his face back to looking normal. "The Shibas, eh? Old foreign sounding fella and the blondish boy, right? Good folks, nice people."

            "Ji and Jayden," Mia clarified, putting her last item— oatmeal, meant to be a crust for her chocolate salmon dish— on the counter.

            "That's them," Kevin added. He couldn't help but wonder what that hesitation had been about.

            "Well," Jeff said, scanning the oatmeal and bagging the rest of their groceries. "You kids... be careful, alright?" He handed their two bags to Kevin and smiled at them.

            "We will," Mia said, pulling out her wallet.

            "Ah, not this time," Jeff said. "Any friends of the Shibas are... Well, don't worry about the groceries, at any rate."

            "Um, thank you."

            "That was really weird," Mia whispered on their way out.

            That night, over dinner, which unsurprisingly was not a hit, Jayden and Ji each personally assured Kevin and Mia that they didn't know a grocer named Jeff and that they always paid for their own groceries. Ji thought it was strange, too; Jayden didn't have much to say about it at all. Mia just couldn’t get over how nice it was for him to not accept their money. Kevin decided that there were just some people in town that were more perceptive than others.

* * *

 

            "Mike, do you see that girl?" Emily asked between sparing sets one afternoon. Mike pulled away from the towel he was using to wipe his face and turned towards the gate. Someone had left the wood doors open. A teenage girl, probably still in high school, was peeking into the courtyard.

            Mike hopped of the porch and began walking towards her, Emily following not too far behind. The girl didn't see them. She kept looking over her shoulder to the sidewalk and back to the courtyard.

            "Hey," Mike said, easily, causing the girl to jerk her head towards the two samurai in their training uniforms. She froze in place, a mixture of fear and panic spreading onto her face.

            "Hi, there," Emily smiled. "I'm Emily, and this is Mike. Can we help you with something?"

            The girl said nothing, and did nothing. She stayed frozen in place, starring wide-eyed at Mike and Emily.

            "What's your name?" Mike prompted, trying not to get frustrated, but it was getting harder every minute that she just stood there, not responding.

            "Hey, it's okay," Emily said, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder, gingerly. "You can come in if you want to."

            "Kiki," The girl said, finally, pulling away from Emily's touch. She looked suddenly disgusted and brushed at her shoulder where Emily's hand had been. "My name is Kiki, and if it's all the same to you, I'll just be on my way."

            "Hey! You're the one who—"

            "It was just a stupid dare, okay?" Kiki spat, cutting Mike off. "Everyone knows this place is creepy and you guys are just as creepy as the rest of it. What? You invite people in and they never come out again? No, thank you. It was a dare, and I did it, and now I'm done, alright?"

            Kiki turned sharply and ran back out to the street, leaving Mike and Emily in confusion. They followed her a few steps out of the courtyard, just in time to see her join up with a group of other girls and who all ran around the corner together.

            Emily supposed that it was natural that there would be ghost stories or urban legends or what-have-you surrounding the Shiba House. It had been relatively empty for long enough and the walls around the courtyard weren't exactly neighborly. Mike just figured that kids could be real punks when they wanted to be— and, he assured Emily when they discussed it, that meant something coming from him.

* * *

 

            A knock at the front door was slightly out of the ordinary at the Shiba House, but every now and again it would happen. It happened, for instance, one Saturday morning when Antonio was reading the newspaper in the kitchen. As Antonio looked around for someone else to answer it, he found himself to be the only one around. Jayden had joined Kevin on his morning run, Ji had gone to supervise Mia at the supermarket and Mike and Emily usually slept in on Saturdays.

            Antonio pulled back the heavy wood door, not sure what to expect. At first look, he didn't see anyone, but upon lowering his line of vision, he found the boy who talked to the Bull Zord, looking upset.

            "Hey, Cody, right?" He opened the door wider, inviting Cody in. The boy came in, head hanging low and picked a seat in the main room.

            "Is Jayden around?

            "Uh, he's out for a run, actually," Antonio said, standing beside him. "You seem... like you need someone to talk to. I'm a pretty good listener, you know."

            "That's okay," Cody said, looking anywhere but at Antonio. "I'll wait for Jayden."

            "Okay... I'll wait with you. Can I interest you in hot chocolate or something?" Cody nodded, and followed Antonio into the kitchen. He sat at one of the high bar stools, his feet dangling well above the floor. No sooner did he have a mug of hot chocolate in front of him than Cody started talking.

            "It's the kids at school," Cody said, after his first sip. "They figured out that my family is related to Jayden's and I don't really know why, but for some reason—"

            "Let me guess. Your friends stopped inviting you over after school."

            "Yeah, and I got uninvited from a birthday party," Cody admitted, hanging his head again.

            Antonio wasn't surprised. He had grown up hearing things about the Shiba House. The fishermen his father was friends with didn't think very highly of the Shibas or their friends to say the least. It was part of the reason his father had decided to move up the coast. For Antonio, though, he had never heard anything to deter him from the place or from Jayden. The same couldn't be said for a lot of the people in Panorama City.

            "They think I'm weird or something, and my friend Lewis said that his dad thinks it's too dangerous to have me around. I just don't understand, I guess."

            No one ever knew anything for sure, in Antonio's experience, but when the disappearance of Jayden's parents perfectly coincided with the end of the monster attacks 15 years ago, some people had put two and two together and guessed a connection. Rumors had even traveled up the coast to where Antonio and his father eventually settled, but they were always just rumors. Sometimes in the stories Antonio heard, the Shibas and friends were the heroes, but most of the time, they were the bad guys— even if people still thought they were rangers. Some people couldn’t decide which came first: the monsters or the rangers.

            "Cody, let me tell you something, okay?" Antonio said, with his best encouraging smile. "People don't always understand what your families do, and for better or worse, not understanding makes people talk. You see what I'm saying?"

            "No."

            "What he's saying is," Jayden's voice came from the doorway. Both Cody and Antonio turned to look at him. "The good that we do to protect the city far outweighs the bad things that people may assume about us. It's a tough choice, I know, but I'll always pick people thinking what they will and a safe city over people knowing what we do and still thinking what they will."

            "So, no matter what, people are still going to be afraid of me and our families?"

            "Basically." Jayden said, bluntly.

            "But, not everyone will be afraid of you," Antonio, cut in, attempting to make up for Jayden's crassness. "I wasn’t, right? You always have us if you need someone to talk to."

            When Cody left the Shiba House, Antonio wasn't really sure that he felt better. Antonio himself felt a little worse, if he was being honest with himself. Jayden shrugged it off, though. He told Antonio that Cody would be fine. After a lifetime of people talking about him, his parents, and his house, Jayden was used to the whispers and the rumors. Cody would get used to them, too. People talked. It was a fact of life.

            That only made Antonio feel even worse.


End file.
